Bound by Blood
by Raphael Comet
Summary: A figure from Koko's past resurfaces to hunt her down. Now she and Yuri must hunt down this individual before they get them first. All characters are my OCs.


**===== Chapter 1 =====**

**Rude Awakening**

It was a calm and peacefully morning in the Kingdom of Gilderland. The sky was clear and the sun was shining bright, a serene breeze rolling over the kingdom's emerald hills and golden fields of wheat. Yuri lay peacefully in bed alongside her recently wedded wife, the brave and skilled red-head, Koko Stormare.

Yuri turned on her side towards Koko as the sun's rays hit her eyes, causing her to stir awake. Just as she squinted her eyes open, a mysterious silhouette came into view right in front of her, standing beside Koko on the other side of the bed. The figure had something in their hand and it looked like they were about to stab Koko with it.

Yuri acted fast as her eyes opened wide with fright. She sat up in bed and grabbed the closest thing to her, hurling the pillow at the unknown assailant's face to distract them. Once the intruder had momentarily diverted their attention away from Koko, Yuri stood up on the bed and jumped over her partner, attacking the mysterious person with a jumping kick. The attack missed as the attacker stepped back, allowing an opening on the floor where they once stood for Yuri to land in a fighting stance. Yuri was only wearing her silk pajamas, consisting of a top and bottom which didn't offer any protection at all against the potential edged weapon that the assassin was holding. As she stood in the sunlight with the attacker fully in view, she paused, suddenly recognizing the person before her. Likewise, the aggressor was fully able to see Yuri and hesitated as well but kept their guard up.

"…Lula?" asked Yuri as she slightly dropped her guard, seeing one of Monika's assassin friends and one of her former pseudo-mentors before her.

"Yuri? Hey, what's up? Didn't expect to find you here," said Luciel who commonly went by her nickname, Lula. She then sheathed her dagger and took up a fighting stance, not wanting to have to use lethal force on Yuri if she didn't have to.

"Wha- What are you doing here?" asked Yuri, completely confused as to what was going on.

"Oh, you know. Working," said Luciel as she prepared to advance towards Yuri. "So… in case I hurt you, sorry in advance." She then lunged at her, going for a tackle to take her down.

Yuri knew that Luciel was expertly skilled in grapple techniques and throws, so she tried her best to keep her distance. She prepared herself and executed a side kick to keep her opponent at bay and to give her some breathing space. There wasn't much room to maneuver where she was which worked to Luciel's strengths of being a grappler.

Luciel was very familiar with Yuri's moves, having sparred with her several times while she was still in training. She expertly dodged the kick and grabbed a hold of Yuri's leg in the process. "Familiar! Don't you have anything new?" she asked as she prepared for a counter-grapple.

"How 'bout this!" said Yuri as she kicked off the ground using her other leg, delivering a blow right to Luciel's jaw.

The strike caught Luciel off balance, causing her to step back a few paces and drop Yuri to the floor as she did. Yuri then recovered by pushing herself off the ground and getting back on her feet. Seeing Koko still soundly asleep with a goofy expression on her face, Yuri grimaced and went to her side, nudging her in an attempt to wake her up.

"Koko! Wake up! Wake up already!" said Yuri as she continued to try and get Koko out of her slumber, not diverting her gaze once from Luciel for even a second. She knew better than to underestimate a veteran assassin like she was.

As Koko finally came to, she yawned and looked up to Yuri with a smile. "Hey, Babe. What's the matter?" she asked before looking over to see Luciel across the room. She then jolted awake and sat up in bed. "Who's that!? What's going on here!?"

"Someone who apparently wants to kill you, so get up already. I need your help," said Yuri after giving Luciel a frustrated sneer.

Koko scowled at Luciel and hurried out of bed, standing next to Yuri as she prepared herself for a fight. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but you're not leaving here without a good beating first," she said.

As they stood there, Yuri then remembered the guards stationed around the estate and called out for them. She figured they could use the extra help and also wanted to know if they were still alive. She turned her head slightly towards the balcony and shouted, "Nikola! Krista! Get up here! We have an intruder!"

There was some rustling and shouting momentarily outside before two knights came rushing into the main house and up the stairs. They burst into the bedroom with weapons at the ready, seeing Yuri and Koko across from the suspected intruder.

"Lady Yuri! Are you hurt?" asked one of the knights, fully clad in Royal Guard armor and wielding a longsword. Her name was Krista and she was a member of Karen's elite unit.

"Is she the only one? Are there any others, my Lady?" asked the other knight, also clad in Royal Guard armor and wielding a modified heavy crossbow. Her name was Nikola and was also a member of Karen's special group.

Just as Nikola said that, Yuri gasped, remembering that Luciel usually took on contracts with her team which consisted of Dupleeka Rains and her mentor, Monika von Lucatile. That meant that there was probably at least one other assassin out there, if she was lucky. Seeing Koko was in plain view in front of the balcony door and window, she quickly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards her. Just as she did, an arrow came crashing through the window, narrowly missing the two of them.

"Take cover!" said Yuri as she held Koko close to her behind the safety of a wall.

Before stepping back behind a wall to avoid being hit as well, Luciel signaled to the archer using hand and arm gestures. She relayed that there were four people in the room with her, one of them being their target, Koko.

After the arrow came flying into the room, it impacted the back wall which caused Nikola and Krista to crouch down. They remained close to the floor, staying out of view of the balcony doorway and window.

"A sniper!?" asked Nikola as she readied her crossbow.

"Stay down!" said Yuri as she looked to her, still holding on to Koko who was completely flabbergasted as to what was happening. "She's a skilled archer who specializes in long-range assassination with a longbow, so be careful!"

"How- How do you know that? Who are these people?" asked Koko as she remained by Yuri's side, looking to the balcony then to Luciel.

"Just stay close to me, Hon. I'll protect you," said Yuri as she glared at Luciel. Luciel just looked back from across the room, smiling as Yuri took care of her lover.

Once Koko was safely out of harm's way for the most part, Yuri peeked her head around the corner to see if she could see where the shot came from. Just as she did, she quickly withdrew back behind the wall as an arrow came whizzing by her face, narrowly missing her once more. "She's probably perched in one of the trees across from the estate. Nikola! Krista! You two take care of the threat outside. Koko and I will handle Luciel," she said.

"Are you sure, my Lady? Let one of us stay here with you," said Krista.

Yuri shook her head and looked to the guards before quickly returning her attention back to Luciel. "The assassin's name is Dupleeka and she's good, very good. I need you to watch each other's backs out there and take her out," she said, concerned for the safety of Karen's subordinates. "And ladies, I want her brought in alive."

Nikola and Krista acknowledged, giving Yuri a slight bow as they took a knee. "At once, my Lady," said Nikola.

"Oh, and one more thing. There might be a third assassin lurking around somewhere, so be careful. Her name's Monika and she's- my mentor. I want her brought in alive as well if you encounter her, but don't be afraid to rough her up. She can take it," said Yuri, hoping that Monika wasn't there as well.

"As you wish, my Lady," said Nikola as she and Krista crept back through the bedroom door, heading downstairs and outside to deal with Dupleeka.

Meanwhile, Luciel just stood there, leaning back against a piece of furniture with her arms crossed casually over her chest. "My, haven't you grown since I last saw you? So mature now, giving orders around like you're some kind of royalty," she said with a smile. "And look at that. You even have a darling… girlfriend, I presume?"

Koko gave Yuri an odd look before glancing back to Luciel, wondering if the assassin knew Yuri's secret. Yuri saw Koko's gaze and subtly shook her head, reassuring her that Luciel probably meant the remark about her being royalty as a figure of speech. She then looked back to Luciel with an unamused expression.

"She's my wife, actually. So… again, I ask. Why are you here?" asked Yuri as she was more firm in her words.

Luciel smirked and unfolded her arms, taking up a fighting stance once more. "I told you. We're on the job and we're here for her," she said, pointing to Koko.

"M- Me?" asked Koko as she pointed to herself, surprised that they weren't after Yuri who, at least to her, was much more important than she was.

Yuri just scowled at Luciel, raising her fists as well. "Why?" she asked.

With a simple shrug of the shoulders, Luciel just smiled. "You know I can't break the rules and just tell you," she said as she began inching closer. "But if you can beat me, I'll tell you what I can."

Yuri sneered at her and scooted closer to Koko who also readied herself for a fight. "Watch yourself, Hon. She fancies poison and is an expert grappler. Don't get too close if you can avoid it," said Yuri.

"Poison!? Great… you have some really interesting friends, you know that?" said Koko with a sarcastic sneer as she looked to Luciel.

"They're not my friends; they're my mentor's. They also happened to teach me a thing or two back when I was still in training," said Yuri. "Also, watch out for the archer outside. We don't know if Nikola and Krista managed to take her out yet."

After having watched Yuri's and Koko's interactions with each other, Luciel let out a sigh and lowered her guard, raising her hands up in a non-threatening manner. "I can't do it," she said as she looked to Yuri.

Yuri remained on-guard, keeping her defenses raised. "Can't do what? Is this some kind of trick?" she asked.

Luciel sighed again and placed her arms down by her side. "I don't want to hurt you, and if it might mean injuring you to complete the contract, then I don't want any part of it," she said before turning to the balcony and walking outside onto it. "You've grown up so much." She then used hand and arm gestures to signal in Dupleeka's general direction to stand down and come in peacefully. Shortly after she sent the message, a sturdy, armor-piercing arrow impacted the wall Yuri was hiding behind. The solid metal arrow, which resembled a bolt more than an arrow, penetrated the wall but got stuck, stopping just inches away from Yuri's head.

Yuri slowly turned her head and looked to the arrow, completely startled but relieved at the same time. "Wh- Wh- What was that!?" she asked, looking to Luciel who was equally as stunned.

As Koko hurried over to make sure Yuri was all right, Luciel began signaling more forcefully to make Dupleeka stop firing and surrender. After the second batch of hand signals and gestures, the projectiles seemed to stop. Luciel exhaled tiredly then went over to see how Yuri was doing.

Yuri saw Luciel approaching and remained wary, keeping a fighting stance just in case. "Excuse me if I don't quite trust you yet, so stay back. I'm well aware of your tendencies to charm your opponents to make them drop their guard," she said.

Luciel stopped and raised her hands to show no ill-intent. "Don't worry. I'm done, really," she said before backing up. "But I guess my reputation does precede me, so I get where you're coming from. I'll stay away for now."

Yuri gave her a nod then looked to the door as a guard came rushing in. "Status," she said, wondering how things went outside.

As Nikola entered the room, she was relieved to see Yuri and Koko still alive but then grimaced as she saw the assassin still active as well. She sneered at Luciel who just gave her a casual wave then looked to Yuri. "My Lady, we've captured the assassin called Dupleeka alive. She surrendered to us without a fight and Krista currently has her in custody. Shall I assist you in dealing with this one?" she asked, aiming her crossbow at Luciel.

Yuri motioned to Nikola with her hand, prompting her to stand down. "That won't be necessary. Have Krista bring Dupleeka up here to me," she said. "Was there any sign of a third assassin?"

"That's a negative, my Lady, but I'll remain vigilant," said Nikola before heading off to find Krista and Dupleeka.

After the guard left, Yuri turned to Luciel with a concerned expression. "So, where's Monika? If she was with you two when you took the contract, she would've known who Koko was and stopped you from going ahead with it," she said.

Luciel gave a shrug and leaned back against the same piece of furniture from earlier. "She's not here, if that's what you're wondering. Dupleeka and I took the job alone without her since your mentor was busy doing whatever it was she normally did. It was a very lucrative contract, so we jumped on it as soon as we could. We didn't want to have to wait for her to get back and looked to secure it before someone else got to it first," she said.

As they were talking, Nikola returned along with Krista and Dupleeka. Dupleeka had been relieved of her weapons and had her wrists secured behind her back using iron manacles. Krista had her longsword sheathed but kept a dagger ready in her hand, positioned against Dupleeka's back.

"We've returned, my Lady," said Nikola with a slight bow.

"Thank you, Nikola. If you'd be so kind, please, cuff this one as well," said Yuri as she casually gestured to Luciel.

Luciel gave a nervous smile as Nikola began walking towards her with a pair of manacles. "Is that really necessary?" she asked while holding up her hands in front of her.

"I won't make the mistake of letting my guard down in front of an assassin," said Yuri as she watched Nikola cuff Luciel's wrists behind her. "Don't worry. If what you say is true, and you've truly given up, I'll make sure you're treated courteously."

After Luciel was detained and relieved of her only weapon, the poisoned dagger, she stood beside Dupleeka and waited for their judgement. "So, what are you going to do with us? I was kinda hoping you'd just let us go after we surrendered, but I see I was being overly optimistic," said Luciel.

"You'll be detained for now and kept in the castle dungeon until Koko and I take care of this mess. Hopefully we can get all the information we need without having to… torture you. You did say you'd tell me as much as you could if I defeated you and- well, you look pretty defeated to me," said Yuri as she stood in front of the assassins.

At that point, Dupleeka gave Luciel a sour look. "Huh? We're not being set free? Geez, had I known that, I wouldn't have given up so easily," she said with a sneer.

Luciel chuckled nervously, ignoring Dupleeka for now as she looked to Yuri. "Don't worry. There's no need for torture. I'll tell you as much as I can like I promised," she said, wincing at the very notion of being tortured in a dungeon. She wasn't too keen on having her delicate body damaged and scarred.

Yuri gave her an appreciative nod, but before they left, she looked to Dupleeka. "Before we go, I have one question to ask you," she said, meeting Dupleeka's gaze. "Did you know that was me when you were shooting those arrows, specifically that metal one?"

Dupleeka scoffed at her then smiled. "Before I shot the first arrow? No, I didn't. But afterwards, yeah. I knew it was you," she said in a very nonchalant manner. Unfortunately, she didn't share the same kind of conscience Luciel had. "So how close was I with that last one? I pretty much had to guess where you were when I loosed my arrow, but I had a pretty good idea where you'd be."

Annoyed with how unapologetic Dupleeka was being about almost killing her, Yuri clenched her hand into a fist and sucker-punched her right in the gut. She never thought Dupleeka could be so cold as to even consider killing her so casually. They got along well enough back when she was first starting out as an assassin, or at least, so she thought.

As Dupleeka was still gasping for air, she began to laugh, looking back to Yuri after recovering. "That close, huh?" she said with a smirk. "Just look at you. All grown up now. I'm surprised you were able to survive this long on your own, especially without Monika coddling you all the time like she did."

Luciel gave Dupleeka a disapproving glance then looked to Yuri. "Don't mind her, Yuri. She's just upset that she's going to have to spend a little time in jail is all," she said before giving her a warm smile. "By the way, I think you and your darling wife are so cute together. Congratulations on the marriage, though, I am a bit upset that I wasn't invited."

Yuri and Koko blushed slightly, not paying any attention to Dupleeka's crassness. "Thanks, but I did send you an invite, or at least, I sent one to Monika who ended up attending just fine. I assumed she was just going to bring you two along as well," said Yuri.

"I guess I missed the memo…," said Luciel with a disappointed look.

"Well, sorry about that I guess. You can blame that on Monika," said Yuri before turning to Nikola and Krista. "Take them outside to the front gate and wait for us there. Treat them nicely, but if any of them gives you any trouble-," she said before coughing and uttering Dupleeka's name under her breath. "Don't hesitate to be a bit forceful. After we meet up with you there, we'll proceed to the castle dungeon and inform Lady Karen of the situation."

"As you wish, my Lady," said Nikola as she and Krista escorted Luciel and Dupleeka out of the room towards front of the estate.

Once they were gone, Yuri exhaled wearily and turned to Koko before giving her a hug. "Are you all right, my love?" she asked.

Koko was still having a hard time understanding what was going on, but upon seeing Yuri's comforting smile, she settled down and relaxed. "I'm fine. I'm alive, thanks to you. If they're as good as you say they are, I'd surely have been a goner," she said, taking Yuri's hand in hers after their hug. "But just what is going on, though? Why would anyone want me dead so much as to put out a contract for assassins?"

"I don't know, but hopefully Luciel will tell us something that'll help us find out," said Yuri as she began to get changed out of her pajamas.

Koko gave her a warm smile then went about getting changed as well, donning her adventuring outfit as did Yuri. She retrieved a pair of traveling pants and a shirt before donning her armor and other gear. Once they were ready, they headed downstairs and met up with the others before continuing as a group to the castle within the city. Nikola and Krista kept their eye on Dupleeka, who was the more troublesome of the two prisoners, while Yuri and Koko watched Luciel.

As they were walking along through the quiet countryside, Yuri decided to probe Luciel for some answers. "Hey, Lula, why don't you save us the trouble before we get there and spill what you know already," said Yuri as she walked alongside Luciel.

Luciel hummed to herself then turned her head towards Yuri. "Okay. What do you want to know?" she asked.

"You know what I mean," said Yuri after a sigh. "Let's start with who hired you."

"Oh, little Yuri. You know I can't divulge that as an assassin of the Guild. Ask me something else," said Luciel.

Yuri grumbled, figuring she'd give it a shot anyway despite knowing the Guild's strict rules herself. "Okay… how 'bout this? What's the bounty on Koko's head?" she asked.

Luciel chuckled to herself. "Oh, not much. Just a cool 1,000 gold coins… and that's if she's dead when we bring her back. The client, who was anonymous when we took the job, offered 2,500 gold coins if we happened to bring her in alive," she said, lamenting the fact that the contract involved Yuri and her wife, Koko.

"Wow, that much? I might just turn her in myself and reap the reward on my own," said Yuri. Just as she did that, Nikola and Krista turned around, giving her a concerned look. "I'm just joking. I'd never do that to my love, not for all the money in the world," said Yuri. The two knights faced forward again while Yuri turned to Koko. "You know that, right?"

"Of course, Babe," said Koko as she smirked, holding Yuri's hand in hers. "Myself, on the other hand, is a different story."

"Oh?" asked Yuri, giving her a playful smile.

"Mmhmm," said Koko with a nod. "I'd hand you over for maybe like, a sack of mangoes or a really cool sword."

Yuri snickered, cuddling against Koko's arm. "Yeah, sure you would," she said while continuing to hold her hand.

Next to them, Luciel couldn't help but let out an amused sigh. "You two are just adorable! I'm so glad we chose not to go ahead with the contract," she said.

"Hmph, speak for yourself…," said Dupleeka before getting shoved by Nikola.

"Don't mind her," said Luciel as she looked to Yuri. "All right, enough of the games. I'll tell you what I can, so take it easy on us when we get there, okay? Or at least me, anyway. You can do whatever you want with Dupleeka." Once she said that, Dupleeka looked over her shoulder at her, giving her a betrayed expression. Luciel just looked back and gave her a playful shrug.

Yuri and Koko prepared themselves and listened intently to what Luciel had to say. Luciel told them everything she could without divulging to much or putting herself at risk of breaking the Guild's strict confidentiality rules. Although she couldn't exactly tell them who put the contract out, mainly because she didn't know herself, she did tell them where they were headed afterwards. Once they had acquired Koko, whether dead or alive, they were going to meet with the client at a specified location to hand her over. Other than that little tidbit and the reward amount, that was all Luciel could tell them regarding the contract.

Yuri thanked Luciel for her cooperation, and once they arrived at the castle, she made sure she was taken care of adequately. Yuri informed Karen and her unit about Luciel and Dupleeka, taking extra care to inform them on what each of their specialties in assassination were. She told them to be extra careful around the duo when interacting with them. Most importantly, Yuri told them not to torture or abuse either Luciel or Dupleeka under any circumstances. She wanted them in the same condition as she left them when she later returned to set them free. After explaining the situation to Karen and the rest of her unit, they brought Luciel and Dupleeka to the holding cells in the dungeon.

"Are you sure you want to keep them here? Based on what you've told us, they're potentially a real threat to the kingdom," said Karen. "How do you know their real target is someone more important, like the King?"

Yuri rolled her eyes at Karen, walking along with her at the head of the group. "If their real target was Arin, they would've gone straight for him without all this indirect approach nonsense," she said.

Karen narrowed her eyes at Yuri, taking the security of the kingdom very seriously. "Okay, but if they're not after him, and instead are truly after Koko, then why are you letting them live? Wouldn't it be easier to just kill them and be done with it?" she asked, then looking to Luciel and Dupleeka behind her.

"Uh, are we really going to be okay under this chick's supervision? She seems to be the… overzealous type," said Luciel as she looked to Yuri.

"You'll be fine," said Yuri as she looked from Luciel to Karen. "These two are friends of my mentor. I need them locked up so they don't report back to the Guild and potentially leave the contract open for someone else to take. And I suppose, at one point, they were sort of like mentors to me as well. It's that very bond that stayed their hand in the first place which allowed Koko and me to live."

Karen scoffed at her, looking from the detainees back to Yuri. "You're overly sympathetic. I say we should just kill them first so we don't make the same mistake they did," she said.

"Seriously. I'm getting some really bad vibes coming from this girl," said Luciel.

Yuri sighed, motioning to Luciel with her hand to relax. She knew Karen well and that she wouldn't dare disobey a direct order lest her brother, the King, hear about it. "Nobody lays a finger on these two, got it?" she said, looking to Karen.

Karen grumbled then gave a nod, not wanting to escalate things to the point where her brother would get involved. Even though she and he were siblings, the bond Arin had with Yuri was equally as strong. "Fine. But if they escape and start causing havoc, it's on your head. Then I'll be forced to hunt them down and kill them myself," she said.

"I can accept that," said Yuri before looking back to Luciel and Dupleeka. "You're not going to try anything, are you two? Karen's not the type to be trifled with and once she's on the warpath, there's no stopping her, so you'll be on your own."

"Don't worry, Yuri. We'll behave, right, Dupleeka?" said Luciel as she turned to her partner in crime beside her.

Dupleeka gave Luciel a frown then looked to Yuri with a sigh. "Right. I won't try to escape or nothin'," she said.

Yuri gave them a satisfied nod and continued on with the detention group. Upon reaching the dungeon, the prisoners were stripped of all their belongings and given simple prison garb to wear, consisting of a plain shirt, pants, and slippers. They were put in separate cells with an empty cell situated between them. That way, they weren't able directly interact with one another other than talking. Once they were safely secured in their cells, Karen sent for a couple of food trays to be brought down for Luciel and Dupleeka since it was about lunch time.

While they were waiting for the meals to arrive, Yuri decided to talk to Luciel one last time before she left with Koko. She walked over to Luciel's cell which consisted of a simple wooden bedframe with a straw mattress, a small wooden table, a wooden chair, and finally a bucket for sanitary purposes.

"Before we leave, is there anything else you need or would like to say?" asked Yuri.

Luciel frowned as she looked over her new attire. "Maybe some nicer clothes? These rags are so unflattering," said Luciel with a disappointed look on her face.

Suddenly, a voice was heard from a nearby cell. "Better clothes aren't going to make you look any better," said Dupleeka who was lying on her bed, not caring how she looked in her new outfit.

Luciel huffed then looked to Yuri and Koko, who was standing there beside her. "I'm just kidding about the clothes. You've done a lot for us as it is," she said, giving them a slight smile. "I'm sorry you got mixed up in this, the both of you. I sure hope you're able to sort all this out soon, not just because I care, but also mainly because I'm sure this whole jail thing is going to get old real fast."

"We'll try to take care of the situation as soon as possible. You've already helped out a lot. In the meantime, try not to get into any trouble. And those goes for you too as well," said Yuri before turning towards Dupleeka's cell.

Dupleeka just groaned in reply then asked, "Are we getting compensated at all? We're missing out on a lot of money by letting you and your precious wife go."

"I'm afraid not. But I'm sure this slight setback will be a minor dent in your finances. You two are part of the Angels of Death, after all. You should have no problem finding more work after this," said Yuri with a snicker.

Dupleeka groaned even louder then quieted down. "Just don't go dying on us and leaving us in here to rot," she said.

"Don't worry. I have no intention of dying, though, your life isn't exactly high on my priority list right now," said Yuri.

After the prisoners' meals arrived, Yuri and Koko bid Luciel farewell and departed, leaving her former mentors in the caring yet unyielding hands of Gilderland's Royal Guard, particularly Karen and her unit. As Luciel happily began eating her meal, Dupleeka spoke up once more since it was just the two of them and whichever guard was present at the time.

"This is completely ridiculous, you know that, Lula?" said Dupleeka as she didn't bother touching her food yet, preferring to rather leave the tray on the wooden table for now.

"Oh hush. Just enjoy the nice break from work and relax already," said Luciel as she tried to make the best of their less-than-ideal situation. She took another bite of her piece of bread which was delicious despite it being prison food. She was well aware of Gilderland's specialty in wheat and baked goods, so she yearned to try some of its famed bread while they were there.

Dupleeka scoffed at her, placing her hands behind her head. "You say that now, but after you need to use that bucket for the first time, I'm sure you'll quickly change your mind," she said.

After hearing that, Luciel grimaced as she looked to the lone bucket sitting in the corner of her cell. "It won't be that bad. I mean, this is better than the alternative, right?" she said before happily returning her focus back to her tray of food.

"What alternative? You mean the one where we complete the contract while not being imprisoned and split the thousand or more gold between ourselves?" asked Dupleeka with a hint of venom in her tone.

Luciel took a drink of water from her cup then cleared her throat. "No. I mean the alternative where you have to explain to Monika that you injured or even killed her surrogate little sister," she said with a wily smirk.

Dupleeka shuddered with trepidation, going over the scenario in her head. She figured that if she did harm or possibly killed Yuri, Monika would be absolutely livid and quite possibly kill her right there on the spot after she broke the bad news to her. It wasn't that she feared Monika, rather she respected her as a competent fighter and fellow assassin, one she didn't want to have to face one-on-one in close-quarters combat.

"I guess you're right," said Dupleeka after much reluctance. "But I still don't like the situation we're in."

Luciel smiled after having thoroughly enjoyed her meal. "Yeah, whatever. I'm sure they'll set things straight and be back to free us in no time. Until then, just try and not complain too much, okay?" she said.

Dupleeka just grumbled before sitting up in bed. She then went over to the table to sample her meal, taking a bite out of the piece of bread there. "Hmph, it's not half bad," she said.


End file.
